Lin Qun's expression turned peculiar.
The card in his hand was distinctly cartoonish, featuring a central figure dressed in red and blue overalls, sporting a large nose.
No matter how he looked at it, it resembled Mario, the princess-saving plumber!
Sure enough…
[Name: Mario - Leap Skill Card]
[Type: Skill Card (Inherent)]
[Description: Using this skill card grants the jumping ability of Mario from Super Mario.]
[Special Note: This card is part of the Mario Deck. Collect the Mario Leap Skill Card, Mario Strength Skill Card, Mario Speed Skill Card, and Mario Carelessness Card to synthesize the Super Mario character card. This unlocks all Mario abilities and the skill "Cartoon Power."]
Lin Qun's mind immediately conjured images of Mario bouncing around in the game. However, as he read further, his eyes lit up.
A card set?
Synthesis not only unlocked all of Mario's abilities but also granted the "Cartoon Power"? That was Mario's unique ability to break dimensional barriers!
"Does this mean I could cross into 2D worlds and meet waifus?" Lin Qun's excitement surged.
He itched to draw a hundred more times and complete the Mario Deck instantly!
However, this card turned out to be a skill card. He couldn't help but wonder what other types of cards existed.
Without delay, he activated the skill. The card vanished, and his personal panel updated with a new entry beneath his existing skill.
[Skills:]
1. "Bang" (Skill Level: 1): Focus on a target within a 10-meter radius to destroy any part of their carbon-based body.
- Maximum Physique Target: 22 (Effectiveness decreases against targets exceeding this limit).
2. Mario - Leap Skill Card (Skill Level: 1): Enables you to jump by leveraging any surface, even defying certain physical laws. Maximum jump height: four times your body height.
- Usage limited only by stamina.
Lin Qun realized this meant he could jump indefinitely as long as he had stamina!
At nearly 1.8 meters tall, his jumps could reach over seven meters—the height of two floors!
A lifesaving skill!
If running away wasn't an option, he could just jump to safety. Moreover, the skill was upgradable. He began to wonder what enhancements upgrades might bring. Higher jumps? Mid-air double jumps?
His anticipation grew.
Testing the skill, Lin Qun lightly pushed off the ground in his small apartment, which had a ceiling height of 2.8 meters. He didn't need to jump the full seven meters right away.
He activated the skill and gently leaped.
"Bang!"
Followed by a loud yelp.
Lin Qun crashed to the ground, stars dancing before his eyes.
Despite a cautious jump, he had misjudged the force and slammed his head into the ceiling, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.
Yet, a smile crept onto his face.
This skill clearly needed practice, but it was a good problem to have. Combined with his Bang skill, he could now perform aerial snipes and execute high-speed retreats in a single combo.
The ultimate stealth playstyle.
"I'll become the master of covert survival!" Lin Qun resolved.
Curious about the skill's upgrade cost, he checked and found that upgrading the Mario Leap Skill required 50 contribution points—half the cost of upgrading the Bang skill.
"Not bad. Maybe I'll achieve double jumps sooner than I thought!"
Despite his excitement, Lin Qun understood the situation outside. After equipping himself with the new skill, he climbed to the seventh floor to observe.
The morning light now fully illuminated the city.
The battle between the military and the main Bakatan forces had taken place in the city's outskirts. Gigantic "sail" ships loomed in the distance, bathing in sunlight and exuding a foreboding, apocalyptic beauty.
Though the sky's cracks were less visible in daylight, Bakatans continued to pour through, using bizarre flying vehicles to descend upon Blue Planet. Some of these crafts even passed over the Longcheng Imperial View neighborhood.
Perhaps mistaking the carnage below for a fully cleansed area, or preoccupied with other missions, they sped past without stopping, vanishing into the horizon.
Most residents of the neighborhood huddled in their apartments, too terrified to venture out. None dared to leave, as the outside world was an unknown nightmare. Here, at least, they had the "experts"—especially the rising star Li Xinghe, now hailed as a hero for allegedly killing over a dozen Bakatans. He was being pampered by Fan Wenchuan and his group in Building Five.
Chu Youwei, on the other hand, remained aloof. Despite attempts to curry favor, she stayed locked in her apartment, unwilling to entertain anyone.
Gunfire and explosions echoed from across the city. Smoke billowed everywhere, and Lin Qun spotted a 50-story building in the distance, severed in half.
Was it his imagination, or did he glimpse a Bakatan floating mid-air without any technological aid?
They have their own extraordinary elites.
The once-bustling metropolis of Shanghai had transformed into a horrifying battlefield.
The eerie calm of the Longcheng Imperial View neighborhood felt like an isolated island, forgotten by the world.
It seemed the main Bakatan forces were locked in combat with the military over control of the central district. The loss of two small squads here—just over a dozen Bakatans—wasn't significant enough to warrant further attention.
Similarly, the federal military showed no signs of intervening.
This strange calm suited Lin Qun just fine.
He needed time to recuperate.
He heard faint noises from within the building. Survivors were moving about, seeking shelter. Building Five, now seen as a safe haven due to Li Xinghe's presence, had become crowded. People crammed into any available space, believing proximity to him offered safety.
Lin Qun peeked through his door's peephole, locked the door securely, and retreated to his bedroom for some much-needed rest.
Sleep was humanity's best recovery tool, and Lin Qun, utterly exhausted, quickly drifted off.
Until a soft knock on the door woke him.
Someone was at his door!